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Student volunteers prepare festival grounds
By Chante Wouden Daily Universe Staff Writer - 18 Jul 2003 Chante Wouden News Net Staff
(Editor's Note) This article was written in 2003. We edited it a little to make the same appeal for volunteers this year, and made the dates contemporary.
The Llama Fest is coming up at the Krishna Temple, and students are there to help prepare.
Twenty-eight students volunteered their time Saturday, at the Hare Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork to uproot thistles, cut grass, wash windows and train llamas in preparation for the llama fest that afternoon.
"There is always work, never any lack of work here," said Charu Das, who manages the temple along with his wife. "Especially when a festival is coming up."
The Llama fest is one of eight festivals held during the year at the Krishna Temple. It celebrates llamas and their owners with food, live music, dance, weaving demonstrations and, of coarse, llama competitions.
Das said they are so grateful to have volunteers come.
After 2 1/2 hours of work on Saturday morning, the volunteers ate a lunch of authentic Hindu food as well as spaghetti and nachos.
"That's the least we can do when people come and donate their time." Das said.
Ronald J Clark, a high councilman for the 21st stake, has organized hundreds of students to volunteer at the temple.
"They (the Krishnas) have brought something wonderful and beautiful to our valley," Clark said. "Everyone needs to be supportive of them.
Welcoming them with open arms, he said, helps us to take our blinders off and broaden our appreciation of diversity in our valley."
Charu Das said the diversity is what attracts students to the temple.
"The idea of coming out here to the temple is enticing to students in general," Das said. "It is something different. Different culture, different architecture, different music and the food is different."
Students can experience some of this different food if they volunteer to help brush and groom llamas Saturday July 14th before the llama fest activities in the afternoon, Das said.
Volunteers can come starting at 11 a.m. or noon, and lunch will be served after work is done.
"We need a lot of help on Saturday morning," Das said. "The biggest job has to wait for the last day."
If the llamas are brushed any sooner, they will become dirty again by laying down in the dirt, Das said.
"Anyone can stop by," Das said.
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Judge Blazes thru Obstacle Course
Hillory (Lory) Smith would not ask the llamas to do anything she wouldn't do herself. Here she previews the obstacle course turning in the fastest time of the day.
Lory has come to judge the Llama fest since it's very beginning. We can hardly imagine the Llama Fest even taking place without the selfless volunteering of her time over so many years. She judged at the festival many years ago when she and husband Dave lived with their first two llamas in Lehi. She judged after she and Dave moved to Santaquin and their herd grew to half a dozen. She continues to judge even though she moved to St. George several years ago and has to make the trip up from Southern Utah.
In spite of all her sacrifices to make the festival a success, she always answers the plea from Chris and Christine to come each year with the words, "I wouldn't miss it for the world." If you come to the Llama fest, give Lory a well deserved word of "Thanks." Even better, volunteer to be her assistant from 4 - 7 pm on the 14th to make her job a little easier.
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Past Tribune Article
on Llama Fest
Llama Festival Peru-ves to Be Popular Attraction
by Tony Yapias
Salt Lake Tribune
7/17/2000
Spanish Fork event draws thousands to see the pride of the Andes
Spanish Fork-In their native Andes, llamas pick their way up and down mountainsides carrying potatoes and other crops as well as handicrafts and goods to be exported.
But their work was much easier in Spanish Fork over the weekend when they showed off their abilities and competed in races to the amusement of thousands of children and adults anxious to see these beasts.
According to Chris Warden, festival co-ordinator, promoters wanted to create an event that is more than any other festival.
"Other festivals have booths, exhibits, and some food. Above that, any festival that has good, live entertainment will definitely be successful: if over and above that, you have llamas, which everyone likes, then you have really got something that nobody else can offer.," Warden said.
Llamas weighing from 280 to 500 pounds and living from 15 to 25 years, have become popular in the United States-especially in the West-since they were brought to the country decades ago to serve as companions and fancy mules. At first, llamas of breeding age could cost more than $5,000 and were the pride of the rich, but one llama breeder at the festival said he could sell a healthy breeding age llama for about $100.00.
Hoping to avoid a boring "dog show" atmosphere, festival promoters worked to "put this whole cultural context of llamas with the food, the music, the crafts and make it a public oriented festival, instead of an exclusively llama owner oriented event," said Warden.
For the festival, nearly 75 llamas were brought in from Roosevelt, Vernal, and Delta.
Daryl Wood of Oak City came along with his 11 year old llama, "Mick,"a grand champion. " Mick rides in the back of the van and just sits down. I take him to the nursing home; he will go where the patients are," Wood said. "I've taken him to the schools, usually elementary, and he goes right into the classroom. He is well mannered."
Wood does some breeding with the 43 llamas he has. " A lot of people like them for pets or for packing, as they can carry about 90 pounds or 25 per cent of their body weight."
Members of the camel family, llamas were domesticated in the Andean highlands of Peru 4,000 to 5,000 years ago.
Beast of burden, llamas provided herdsmen with wool for clothing, hide for shelter, and manure pellets for fuel.
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The 13th Annual Llama Fest will be held at KHQN Radio Station and Utah Valley Llama Farm two miles south of Spanish Fork on Main St. Festivities start from 4 pm, on Saturday July 14th.
In their native Peru, Chile, and Bolivia, llamas carry heavy loads over terrain which is impassable to motorized vehicles. They are the trucks of the Andes.
In America, life is much easier where they have become popular for carrying camping gear on weekend hikes and day trips. Many have found a niche as sheep guards on the open range. Still others, like an RV purchased with good intentions but somehow never used, spend their lives simply munching grass and looking gorgeous and exotic to passers by.
The Llama Fest was originally conceived as an opportunity to highlight Llamas and their owners in the most public way possible: in the overall cultural context of food, music, spinning and weaving demonstrations, music, dance, and competitions between the llamas and their handlers. "If an average attendance of 4,000-5,000 is a public enough event," says festival coordinator Chris Warden, " then we've been successful.
'This is an event which offers more than many festivals. Other festivals have booths, exhibits, and some food. Above that, any festival that has good, live entertainment will definitely be successful: if over and above that, you have llamas, which everyone likes, and which are relatively safe for children, then you have really got something that nobody else can offer.'
'We have over 50 llamas ourselves at KHQN Radio/Utah Valley Llamas and we encourage other llamas owners from all over the state to bring their animals. It's a nice family outing where the kids will compete on the obstacle course and show ring with their llamas for ribbons, and the parents and grandparents will cheer them on."
The Llama Fest features a baby llama (cria) corral where the children can fraternize with their animal counterparts. There is a beautiful baby contest as well as a costumed event.
Continuous live music and dance on the outdoor stage will come from Los Hermanos de los Andes, Lowell Blue, Nuestras Raices, and the Good Karma Blues Band. Richard Christensen has been to every Llama Fest since 1995. "Early on in the evening, it's nice to watch the llamas and their handlers. The llamas are well groomed, graceful, and gentle. It's watching living art to the background music of the Andes. Towards dusk the beat picks up and many of the younger folks, like myself, like to dance."
Food booths will offer such south of the border favorites as chili, nachos, emphanadas, braised vegetables with fried curd, bread pudding, spicy wraps, and lemon mango fruit drinks.
A good selection of Andean craft items like jewelry, rugs, shawls, carvings and clothing will be available on site.
Bring the whole family for a fun and educational experience. Admission is $3.00 per person or $1.00/ children. Llama Fest XI is sponsored in part by a grant from the Utah Arts Council & The National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information, or to volunteer help before and during the event, call 798-3559/787-1510. Visit our web site at www.utahvalleyllamas.com
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Schedule of Events
Spanish Fork event draws thousands to see the
pride of the Andes
The shedule of events for the 13th Annual Llama Fest at Utah Valley Llamas and KHQN Radio Station in Spanish Fork on South Main St. will be as follows: Festivities start from 4 pm, on Saturday July 14th.
4:15 pm: Lowel Blue, Blues Vocalist and Musician, on stage
Spinners & Weavers set up their Looms & Wheels
Llamas and their Handlers compete in the Show Ring,
and Obstacle Course
5:15 pm: Los Hermanos de los Andes on stage, Llama races
6:15 pm: Los Nuestras Raices on stage, Beautiful Llama Baby (Cria) Contest
7:15 pm: Good Karma Blues Band
There are 250 parking spaces on the property: no need to park on the road and walk a long distance to the event.
Food booths will offer such south of the border favorites as chili, nachos, emphanadas, braised vegetables with fried curd, bread pudding, spicy wraps, and lemon mango fruit drinks.
A good selection of Andean craft items like jewelry, rugs, shawls, carvings and clothing will be available on site.
Bring the whole family for a fun and educational experience. Admission is $3.00 per person or $1.00/ children. Llama Fest XIII is sponsored in part by a grant from the Utah Arts Council & The National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information, or to volunteer help before and during the event, call 798-3559/787-1510. Visit our web site at www.utahvalleyllamas.com
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About Utah Valley Llamas, Spanish Fork
Chris & Christine Warden first read about llamas in the mid 80's through an article in the Los Angeles Times that announced the sale for stud of one Professor, for $85,000. That, apparently had been a hitherto unheard of sum, and thus occasioned the article. It went on to describe the virtues of llamas as pack animals and pets-at that time nary a mention of sheep guards. In spite of the price tags of some, the short wooled kind of llama could be purchased for as little as $500 and were a very healthy and low maintenance animal. In the San Bernadino mountains, at Silverwood, Chris and Christine bought their first two yearlings, and transported them to Utah under the shell top of their Mazda pickup. They weren't sure about what was required at border crossings, and when an Arizona Highway Patrolman chatted with them after dark in the Virgin River Gorge, they were quite relieved that, in spite of leaning in the window, he didn't notice the two animals peacefully kushed in the shadows. Those first two llamas were star packers. Many a hike was planned for no other reason than to be out on the trail with these two. No load was too heavy, trail too long, or weather too inclement to dampen their spirits. Drinking in the sights, sounds, and smells of nature in all her animation, these two were natural scientists who took copious mental notes over which they endlessly ruminated back home in their pastures. It was not without trepidation that the first female was acquired for $15,000 in 1988. The first cria on the ground was such a thrill that shortly thereafter, a second, third, fourth, fifth and so on were acquired. Once the pastures (highly visible from a busy roadway) were full of a certain number of animals (50 is the average at Utah Valley Llamas), sales began to be brisk. Visitors were not only impressed with the number and variety of animals, but also with their friendliness. Utah Valley school children are to thank for the above. Annually, more than a thousand children tour the ranch, lead the llamas over some obstacles, ride them (if they are under 70 pounds), and feed them carrots. The LlamaFest was inaugurated in 1995 for those local animals and owners who are not necessarily up to the ALSA standard of competition (most especially, ours). It was also intended to show members of the public and their families a fun and educational time. The festivities are condensed into one Saturday evening in July (the 14th this year), and include super excellent on stage entertainment, hot meals, spinning, weaving, and packing demonstrations, sales of Peruvian, Bolivian & Chilean craft items, as well as low pressure competition between llamas and their handlers. We plan to host over 3,000 guests at this year's festival, and cordially invite all members of the public as well as other llama owners to join us with some of their animals on that day. Thank you. F.M.I. visit us online at www.utahvalleyllamas.com
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Sixteen Missionaries helped out at last year's event. Here some of them sporting their name tags on Llama Fest T-Shirts.
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